Space planning in containers is a critical function for effective logistics. As used herein, “containers” means any sort of intermodal shipping container, such as those meeting standards such as ISO 668, ISO 1496-1, or similar standards, trash or recycling “dumpsters,” cages, crates, vessels, freight train cars, truck beds, truck trailers, ship holds, aircraft holds, warehouses, storage units, barns, buildings, or other containers generally used for containing materials. Space planning enables the logistics stakeholders identify when, what, where, and how to place specific loads. Without proper planning, containers, aircraft, trucks, and ships run the risk of costly shipment, regulatory and health risk due to fixup of goods, and losses in revenue opportunity. It is therefore imperative that every logistics/shipping container or vehicle space is optimized.
Space planning is difficult without a way to measure and evaluate the nature of the space. Some space mapping techniques are known; however, there is need to have faster, more accurate and virtual systems and methods. For example, if there was a remotely located container currently, someone would have to guess how much space is available in that container, or manually go to the container and make the physical measurement. Thus, there is a need for a system that will take into account the variety of physical spaces and provide real-time data and with an easy-to-use data analysis to enable faster and insightful decision making. Other needs exist, as well as other drawbacks and inconveniences of existing systems and methods.